what are the best beginner books about human nature or psychology
I'm looking for a specific book that is easy to understand as someone who rarely or never reads book. I just gained sudden curiosity about the human mind.
The Laws of Human Nature, The 48 Laws of Power or Sapiens
OldResult9597 on
If you want to read about deviant human nature-I humbly recommend “Mindhunter” by John Douglas and Marc Olshaker which is partially what the Netflix series of the same name is about. Serial Killers and rapists. This is just a good book to dip your toe into how they developed the science of criminal profiling and its usefulness in some early cases. There are numerous books by these authors about also many books by the FBI people who they worked with like Ann Burgess or Roy Hazelwood.
If you’re more interested in whether human nature and or actions could possibly be something we’ve totally misunderstood, I’d recommend “Free Will” by Dr. Sam Harris who explains the more we study the brain, we find that our bodies start performing actions before we’ve made a conscious decision to perform them-suggesting Free Will as we understand it is a myth. This book is 10 or more years old, but my understanding is that more current research shows it’s even less likely we have free will.
I know these aren’t EXACTLY what you asked for, just the subject matter in the field I found most interesting if my reading habits are indicators. I would also highly recommend trying a few philosophy books-“Meditations” Marcus Aurelius or Utilitarianism by John Locke, the works of one of the 20th century’s most interesting thinker Bertrand Russel or even modern stuff by Daniel Dennett or pessimistic philosophy by Eugene Thacker “Infinite Regression”. Your best bet is to find an old copy of introduction to philosophy or psychology-those don’t have to be the actual name of the book, you’re just looking for older uses college texts that are just quick sketches of many of the different philosophers and their philosophies and who they influenced etc. by keeping track of who or what interest you, you can dig in more deeply?
SolidContribution760 on
**The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK Publishing**. It’s pack full of colorful diagrams, pictures, and illustrations as it explores psychology from it’s earliest founders to the most modern theories and practices. It cuts through the textbook jargon, while introducing you to advanced terms and ideas.
I find learning a subject through its evolution of progress over the centuries and decades helps me understand the underlying principles of it, psychology no less. You may find that you disagree with the early members, or that their theories may actually sound convincing, which the book then outlines why they’re outdated notions.
3 Comments
The Laws of Human Nature, The 48 Laws of Power or Sapiens
If you want to read about deviant human nature-I humbly recommend “Mindhunter” by John Douglas and Marc Olshaker which is partially what the Netflix series of the same name is about. Serial Killers and rapists. This is just a good book to dip your toe into how they developed the science of criminal profiling and its usefulness in some early cases. There are numerous books by these authors about also many books by the FBI people who they worked with like Ann Burgess or Roy Hazelwood.
If you’re more interested in whether human nature and or actions could possibly be something we’ve totally misunderstood, I’d recommend “Free Will” by Dr. Sam Harris who explains the more we study the brain, we find that our bodies start performing actions before we’ve made a conscious decision to perform them-suggesting Free Will as we understand it is a myth. This book is 10 or more years old, but my understanding is that more current research shows it’s even less likely we have free will.
I know these aren’t EXACTLY what you asked for, just the subject matter in the field I found most interesting if my reading habits are indicators. I would also highly recommend trying a few philosophy books-“Meditations” Marcus Aurelius or Utilitarianism by John Locke, the works of one of the 20th century’s most interesting thinker Bertrand Russel or even modern stuff by Daniel Dennett or pessimistic philosophy by Eugene Thacker “Infinite Regression”. Your best bet is to find an old copy of introduction to philosophy or psychology-those don’t have to be the actual name of the book, you’re just looking for older uses college texts that are just quick sketches of many of the different philosophers and their philosophies and who they influenced etc. by keeping track of who or what interest you, you can dig in more deeply?
**The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK Publishing**. It’s pack full of colorful diagrams, pictures, and illustrations as it explores psychology from it’s earliest founders to the most modern theories and practices. It cuts through the textbook jargon, while introducing you to advanced terms and ideas.
I find learning a subject through its evolution of progress over the centuries and decades helps me understand the underlying principles of it, psychology no less. You may find that you disagree with the early members, or that their theories may actually sound convincing, which the book then outlines why they’re outdated notions.
🙂